Love Prevails in Skin and Scales
by PlanetOfTheWeepingWillow
Summary: "The Little Mermaid" with Denmark (Matthias) and Norway (Lukas) as our star-crossed lovers. When Lukas, a merman, finds the human prince most admirable, he gives up his singing voice for a pair of legs that bring more trouble than they bring good. Dennor/DeNor, Denmark/Norway, shounen-ai.
1. Life of the Sea

**1. Life of the Sea**

The relationship to be borne upon this earth could not have been more clandestine, more unforgiving in its nature and heart-wrenching to the two princes involved. The prince of the land stood proudly on the deck of his boat, allowing the saline wind to whip at his thick blonde hair as he directed orders, looking high and proud into the dimming sky. Seas tended to be at their most calm and predictable during that season, not autumn yet but the time between it and summer, a warm time when the air was sugary and comforting.

"Ah the air is perfect for sailing, your Majesty." A sailor said, grinning at the prince. The prince returned the expression, fulfilling his promise to be the most amiable prince that ever ruled his sea-side kingdom.

"It certainly is, but I wouldn't bet on it to remain this way when the full moon comes up. She goes mad when the moist star comes up over head. The capricious sea as she is; another reason my mother adored her, matching her personality so… So listen well to my orders and watch the ship closely at night." Prince Matthias announced, closing his eyes at the gush of air.

"As you say, your Majesty…"

Several fathoms below, dwelling in his own kingdom of blues and light greens, was the other prince. He called himself Lukas, though many another could recognize him by an alternate title. His father had so generously given him several other names, to prolong his princely appearance. He needed it, too. Lukas's attitude was fitful and unpredictable, much like the sea.

So Lukas lounged on a long rock, watching the fish of all colors flit past him and glimmered in the sunshine. His honey colored hair waved around his face, like tendrils of smoke. His bare torso went down and connected to the scaly blue of a fish tale, large and heavy, flicking around. The translucent fins at the end and along the sides flapped occasionally, to adjust his balance. Azure eyes gazed towards the upper world, a world he longed often to belong in.

"Father would never accept it," he told himself, "Father would throw the worst fit in anyone's imagination if I was to live out of this world and on dry land. This wet palace has little interest to me and the longing pangs my heart, desiring greatly to rise up above the chains of his power and be free, under the sun and on the beautifully soft sand."

Lukas often thought of himself as a poet.

His bony chest rose and fell, accompanying the fleshy scales along his neck, sucking in water and deriving the precious oxygen from it and feeding it into his dormant lungs, much like a frog only different in certain areas.

Lukas pushed himself off the smooth rock and swam towards his hidden cove. When he was young and angered greatly by his father, he swam away from home and came across a vacant cave, littered with human debris. This miraculous find soon became his sanctuary.

The "road" there winded around large rocks and wrecked ships. Seaweed whipped in the currents, curling around Lukas's fingers, which trailed along the sand along the bottom. Several particles dug into his nails. The feeling brought him pleasure as well as discomfort.

He flipped around so his belly faced upwards and flipped his fins in that direction, enjoying the water rolling along his back. Swimming was great, he knew, but walking must feel liberating and even better.

Eventually Lukas came across the entrance of his cove and he entered, watching the blood light waves flicker along the bottom rocks. Rows upon rows made of rocks and coral lead upwards, nearer and nearer to the surface which he longed so much to touch.

"What's the point of having all this if I can't use it?" Lukas muttered again to himself, picking up bent and rusted spoons, hair pins, and cracked tea cups. They felt exotic and delicious on his smooth skin. "Why must I torture myself this way?" He sighed, closing his eyes. His dark eyelashes caught air bubbles like they may have captured snowflakes.

"Your majesty," another man said, approaching Matthias, his hands stiffly behind his back. "I have calculated your motives for this sudden trip."

"Have you, now?" Matthias turned around, annoyed and already forgetting his vow to be admired. However the crooked nose and dark eyes ignited a childish temper within him.

"You wish to escape your father's pleas for your marriage, is that so?"

"I don't want to marry some girl I don't even know." Matthias explained, rolling up his sleeves.

"But there are many beautiful women I know you would come to admire soon enough. Your father will soon go and the responsibility will be passed to you, no matter how childish you are. I've heard the princess in the arctic lands is also seeking a man to take her hand."

Matthias had, in all honesty, found women of disinterest. Whenever the sight of an attractive male, however, greeted his eyes he at once fell into a sort of trance. His legs became lead while his mind screamed at him that it was not quite right. He was a prince who sought a princess and not another prince. Even with this reprimand he continued to do so until he had no choice but to accept his fate and seek a prince who had the same preferences.

As was, the prince below the sea shared these exact tastes. By some strange occurrence the mer-people were much more accepting of such an oddity and often found it amusing. Lukas never mentioned it, even in that case, and his father continued to push and shove for a lovely princess to take his hand so they could take over the kingdom together.

Lukas rested in his area, falling into a light doze.

Dark clouds like bruises on the fair sky accumulated in the distance. Sailors brought it to Matthias's attention, but the man had little to offer. The thought of a bride plagued his mind and he had no way out of such a mindset and chose to ignore the warnings and urges to turn away.

"We'll continue further," he said, staring at the approaching storm poisoning the once clear day. "I don't want to return home just yet."

Night fell heavily, eating up all remaining daylight with the help of thick clouds in its wake. Lukas woke around this time and, suddenly filled with unreasonable hatred at his world, swam furiously upwards. His head broke the surface. Cold air rushed to his wet face. He scanned the area and found a large ship. Merfolk like he could only remain above the water for so long, their lungs taking over once their gills failed to find water around them to suck in and create that lovely oxygen. Lukas found a loophole in the system and kept his neck below the water.

He approached the ship, huge and lurking in the great vast ocean. Lukas swam up to the edge and pulled himself up with a rope, peering into a square opening. From this point he could look in and see a stubborn young man, already forgetting the trouble on his mind and enjoying the sea, trying to forget the approaching storm.

Lukas's tail flapped against the side, sending water droplets soaring off it, while also disturbing a cluster of barnacles. He curled his spine to look on, breathing with his pink lips parted.

He was invested in the man, the way he walked, the way he grinned strong teeth, and especially the way he spoke to the men around him. For years Lukas built a wall, brick by brick, around himself, hardly allowing anyone in. Claiming that no one understood him he continued to build another layer, and so his interest in other people was limited and scarce.

At that moment he decided that he wouldn't mind this man. The major, beaming reason being that he was a human.

His gills started to irritate him and he had no choice but to fall back into the ocean, diving in with his hands outstretched. He pierced the water easily and slid back in. His dim splash alerted one person on the ship who quickly dismissed it as a rowdy group of fish and went back to drinking and playing card games with the other sailors.

As the omnipotent clouds predicted, a huge storm crashed in. Lukas at this point had spoken to his father calmly and was at the brink of the kingdom, looking up at the moving shadow of the ship. He could see huge waves crashing down on it, shaking it, creating splinters that would eventually impale some unsuspecting creature.

Merfolk did not hate humans. They only hated the idiot ones who sailed during storms. Corpses littered their seas along with general clutter and the periodical fatality amongst their people from one reason or another. But even then there was a general dislike for humans fueled by jealousy or fear. This was another reason most people looked down upon Lukas's infatuation with the two legged beings.

Then the ship began to sink, breaking in two and hurtling down into the sea. Lukas sucked in water in a form of a gasp and shot towards it, his tail slicing through the water madly, propelling him towards it.

He wanted to save each human but he knew he would never be able to. He rushed to the first person he wanted to save, the princely Matthias, who had his eyes shut in defeat, and pulled him up to the shore. The man's clothing dragged him down, along with his body mass, and so the act took much longer than Lukas would have liked.

The rocky surf greeted Lukas and he dragged Matthias on to shore, flopping there. Sand stuck to him and into his scales. Matthias coughed up sea water, spilling it out of his nose and mouth. Lukas placed his cold hand on the strong, soggy back, singing softly.

Lukas had an excellent singing voice, for that matter, and he cherished it very well.

Matthias thought he was dying and an angel was signing to him. He blinked water out of his eyes and turned towards the moonlit Lukas, surprise on his face.

Lukas's mouth moved in the song. When Matthias started to realize he was not dead and Lukas spotted another man rushing to shore, he slid off the land, splashing water behind him.

Matthias rubbed his head, wondering if that angelic figure, beautiful and entrancing, was a hallucination.

"Are you alright, my Majesty? What happened? Are the other men alive?" The man who greeted Matthias said, grabbing the prince and hauling him up further to dry land.

Beneath a thin layer of water, Lukas watched the events unfold and decided that he would become human.

* * *

_I do not own Hetalia or the Little Mermaid. This is a hybrid of the Disney and original fairy tale, with some of my own twists added in as well. _


	2. Out of the Sea

**2. Out of the Sea**

Lukas, upon making such a decision, swam to the outskirts of his kingdom, trailing behind a stream of air bubbles glittering in the pale sunshine peeking through the water.

A cove, similar to the one he owned for his personal collection, peeked out over the horizon. He swam harder and harder, seeking the Sea Warlock, or Witch, who had been exiled from the inner workings of the kingdom long before by his father. The motives remained unclear to Lukas, who swerved around jagged rocks like teeth poking through the sand.

He assumed that the Witch had done his father some terrible, unforgivable wrong and he presently out-casted him. As far as Lukas knew no plans for vengeance brewed in that seemingly dark heart.

He lingered at the mouth of the cove, looking into the dark depths untouched by sun or moon. "Hello…?"

From the depths emerged the Witch, his fat, black tentacles sweeping the dust behind him, unsettling small pebbles and bits of coral. Bright eyes gleamed above a grin. "Come in, young Prince." He called, out stretching his hand, beckoning him in.

"You mustn't lurk there so idly, come in…"

Lukas obliged, swimming into the dark area. Large shells and curling natural structures made up the interior. A faint glow emitted from the outer edges, like blood seeping through the water. "And so what is it that you need?" He asked, his blue skin glowing diabolically in the light.

"I-Ivan," Lukas said, puffing out his chest and gathering his courage, "I wish to become a human. Will you?"

Ivan flecked one of his tentacles over to a rock structure in the middle. Within it brewed a yellowish hydrophobic smoke. Ivan's long fingers glanced over the smoke, stirring it like a potion.

"Is that so? But of course I will do so!" Ivan crossed his arms over his chest, which morphed into sleek, leathery skin. "But as you know there will be a price, as with all things. I've helped with so many people, I truly fail to understand why your father loathed me so, and after all I bring nothing but happiness to all around me, so long as they pay up."

"And what might this price be?" Lukas asked, creeping forwards.

"Your voice," Ivan responded as though the subject very much bored him, "I have heard so many rumors about your voice being the most beautiful in all the land. Do we have a deal?"

Lukas touched his throat, alarmed. "But, how will the prince recognize me…?"

Ivan's eyes lit up at once, his expression beaming with opportunity ready to be seized. "So there's a man involved?"

Lukas bit his bottom lip, afraid he had spoken too much.

"Then a voice won't be necessary, Prince. Those human men only want the body. They hate a partner who talks too much!" Ivan placed his hand on his hip, continuing to stir the concoction with his other hand.

"I don't know… I'll never see this world again, right? If I agree to this, I mean."

"No, you won't. That is, there is a catch. You see, if you agree you will have your legs for three days and by the third sunset you need to receive your true love's kiss and you will keep your legs. Or else you will, I'm afraid, turn to where you came: as sea foam." Ivan sighed, as though the consequences he set forth himself were too dire.

"I see…" Lukas said, and pondered the concept. If he stayed he would never know the land above and nothing would ever change. If he chose to agree then he would live his dream. Even if he died he would have very well experienced the world he wanted to. Thus, fueled by the powers of youthful ambition, he nodded.

"Good, now, sing." Ivan said and the smoke within the basin boiled over and filled the entire room, illuminating his features eerily.

Lukas opened his mouth and closed his eye, singing a tone in his pure, clean voice. The golden sounds, as though made of jewels, came out of his mouth in a golden orb, intangible. Lukas felt all at once a searing pang in his tail as it split open, throwing out waves of light and energy. Ivan vanished from view and he, now feeling the pressure of the water, started to push himself out of the water. He scrambled up, feeling water threaten to burst his new-found useful lungs. He felt his neck and found no gills, as well as no scales along his forearms.

He let an air bubble slip from his mouth and roll upwards. Tearing through, nearly giving up twice, he finally broke the water, flinging his head back so water sprayed backwards, glittering in the sunlight. The brush of cool air comforted him. He panted for air, swimming towards the shimmering shore.

His feet met smooth stones and he raised himself on wobbling, ill experienced legs. His loins felt the air for the first time and he looked down at them in shock, touching them gently in confusion. But there were more important matters at hand. When his long toes felt the sand they felt as though they had been lit on fire. Screaming in anguish, he dropped to his knees, which only worsened matters.

On his hands and feet and bare skin the sand felt like fire—like stars all collected together to burn off Lukas, though no obvious marks appeared on his skin. He crept towards land—towards something not made of sand.

He tried to scream for help, but no voice or sound escaped his mouth. Whimpering silently, instead, he crawled forwards.

Heavy thuds of boots on land came towards him. He looked up, blinking water out of his eyes.

The man approaching him was, luckily, none other than the prince. "O-Oh good heavens are you alright?" Matthias cried, rushing to the marine prince and lifting him.

Lukas stared at him, pain embedded in his features. He sought recognition in Matthias's eyes and found only compassion. Surely the prince would have fallen in love with the person who saved him. And that he did.

Earlier that day, when Matthias walked home, bedraggled, he declared to find his true love with the angelic voice.

"Can you speak our tongue?" Matthias asked, "I'm Matthias, by the way." He held Lukas by the waist with his strong arms. The slim body in his arms hardly weighed much. The legs, still fresh and new, knocked against Matthias's body. This caused him to discover Lukas's apparent nudity. His face flushed, he turned firmly to look at Lukas's face.

Lukas made a gesture at his throat, shaking his head.

"Oh you're mute?" Matthias inquired politely.

Lukas nodded.

"You poor, ship-wrecked thing, let's get you cleaned up and fed."

Matthias took him towards the cobbled stone and set Lukas down gently. "Can you walk?"

Lukas took several steps on the rough terrain and found that it did not torch him. He nodded, but held Matthias's arm for support. He was wary of his sudden innocent nature and loathed it, but his condition proved that he needed to act otherwise.

"So what are you?" Matthias asked, "Are you royalty?"

Lukas nodded vigorously, tossing him a suspicious glance.

"Well, I could tell because of how you look: clean and well-to-do." Matthias laughed, casting a glance at the sea behind him. "I can only hope that angelic being sent from heaven herself would come back to me. I would capture him and his gifted voice and keep him with me if I must."

Lukas flushed, realizing his suspicions were true. Unless he could convince Matthias, in his voiceless state, he would never take that precious place in his heart.

However, the love was true. That was an excellent start. Wasn't it?

In the castle, Lukas was first tended to by a pleasantly plump, comely maid. She insisted on throwing him into a bathtub full of soap. All the while, Lukas tried to look at everything in the room: the dresser, the bed, the dryness, the soap, the hair brushes, and the mirror. When he slipped into the velvety water, his skin meeting fresh, clean water for the first time, he could feel his heart racing inside his chest. He washed his hair and face, trying to touch all the contents of the basin.

The maid found loose, comfortably clothing and set them on the bed, waiting at the door of the bathroom for him to come out.

Lukas cupped a bundle of bubbles in his palm and blew at them, watching them flutter away. The bucket that was used to bring the water in sat in the corner, still dripping water that darkened its wooden materials.

That, too, engrossed him. He exited the tub, quite sick of water, and slipped his way towards it. The maid chuckled as though he was quite the cutest being in the entire world, and walked over to him, wrapping him in the soft towel and leading him towards the bedroom. Lukas tried to feel each individual string of the fabric, the soft, cushiony anomaly.

"Aren't you just a bunny rabbit?" She cooed, drying off his soft hair. "I should dress you up in one of the queen's dresses, perhaps you could get our Prince to love you and finally have him finally marry!"

Lukas stared at her, wondering what the problem was with Princes and marriage, specifically why such an attractive man would be unable to do so.

Lukas nodded, pulling on the clothing. His feet, still tingling with the aftermath of the pain, felt the smooth flooring of the room. The loose blouse comforted his arms and he found, on the bedside table, a small cross-shaped pin, and set it in his hair, pushing away a good deal of it. It had not been a problem before. The water had pushed his hair out of his eyes and let him see, so he didn't have to cut it so much.

The maid led him into the dining hall, where Matthias sat, his hands at the edge of the table. Food had yet to be served.

"Hello my marine prince, why don't you take a seat?"

Lukas did so. Sitting with legs and a proper bum felt very, very different from being seated with a huge tail. For one, he felt the chair beneath him with the strong bones there.

The maid winked at Matthias who looked away, reading her expression as he had the princely nature of Lukas, and understanding what she intended. Still his mind was on that beautiful voice and nowhere else.

Lukas picked up a fork, similar to the bent one he had in his cove, and poked the prongs. He had recently seen a hairbrush and this looked nothing like one.

He set it down when the main dish arrived: a cooked lobster. He stared at it, confused. Lobsters weren't friends. They were far from it with how they cling to merfolk tails and picked at their hair. They weren't pests, but they weren't food.

There was a first time for everything, Lukas thought, and grabbed it with his hands. Matthias stared at him, holding the fork gently between two fingers.

"Do you eat like this usually?" Matthias asked, trying not to be disgusted with the obvious lack of manners.

Lukas watched how Matthias held the slice of pinkish meat in the fork and picked up his napkin, dabbing his face clean while he nodded.

"Well, in that case continue on." Matthias said calmly, trying to compose himself from bursting out in wild laughter.

Lukas nodded obediently and ate in the "proper" manner, poking the slices of edible meat and raising them to his mouth. It was surprisingly easy.

"Would you like a tour of the town?" Matthias asked, "I think we ought to do something while we wait for someone to find you."

Lukas nodded eagerly, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the network of a kingdom down below. People moved like small insects along the paved roads, followed by great wagons and clopping horses.

Matthias smiled, feeling inclined to fall in love with the curious, beautiful creature before him. If one of Lukas's sisters or brothers discovered this they would have warned him that the curiosity was only covering up his spiteful and mean personality hidden way beneath. Even then Matthias would have stubbornly protested. But that is not the case so we shall no longer dwell on such a matter.

"Let the others know that I am escorting our guest," Matthias ordered the maid who nodded and went off. He then offered his elbow to Lukas, who took it, examining the silk at his fingers, and followed him down the spiraling staircase to the outer edge of the castle.

The grand doors opened to the green, full world before him, and he grinned in excitement. There was yet too much to learn and see, as well as the glaring problem of getting Matthias to kiss him, even just once.

Bright sunlight beamed down on them, illuminating pathways unlike it ever had to the undersea world. Lukas let go of Matthias and rushed before him, picking up various dry objects and examining them, before being caught by something else to capture his attention.

The horses racing by, the families chattering, the ships in the far yonder, the flowers that Lukas had never seen before—it was all so exotic and delicious he found that he had lost Matthias and the goal up ahead. His love for the human world started to cover the fondness for the prince.


	3. Overheard

**3. Overheard**

Ivan crept along his cove, his inky tentacles splayed behind him and rolling smoothly along the rocks. The substance issuing from the basin in the center of the area curled up, showing dim silhouettes of Lukas dancing with the land prince.

Matthias held the slender hand in his big one, gently twirling the other around. Lukas enjoyed the beautiful freedom of two legs and the dry air whipping against his hair. His mouth opened in a laugh, and Matthias did too, although Ivan could not hear them from his position.

"What better revenge is there than to tear away a prized possession from that wretched king?" Ivan said, putting his bluish hand in the smoke and changing the scene. This time it showed the bearded king seeking his young son throughout the kingdom. His fear-filled blue eyes searched in every nook, steadily building rage and sorrow.

"But that little prince is gaining way to that man's heart," Ivan said, curling his lip. "I believe I will have to interfere…"

Above land, Matthias and Lukas rested on a prickly bench. Lukas munched on a cracker, which he found delicious on a tongue that knew only salty and wet foods. People passed in colorful clothing, bowing to the prince. Children gaped in awe. The prince rarely ventured outside of the sea and his castle.

Lukas's feet began to hurt more often now, and not only when they touched sand. Their sudden pangs were indescribable and he resorted to describing it as the fallout of the spell. Matthias plucked a red flower from the ground beneath him, where many plants of such beauty sprouted at their own free will. The small, star-like flower lay in Matthias's palm. He then moved and gave it to Lukas, who held it even tighter in his hands.

"Have you ever taken a boat ride?" Matthias said, addressing Lukas without name, as he had never learned the Prince's real name.

Lukas shook his head. He imagined boats to be huge, ominous, and a threat to his life. But now, since he had no gills to be poisoned by them, he found it intriguing.

"Would you like to go on one?" Matthias said, holding out his hand.

Lukas took it, enjoying the sensation of coarse flesh on his own. This was the second day. His chances for receiving that kiss embedded with true love were dwindling away like sand through fingers.

Matthias led him to an outcropping of water that was nearly entirely cut off from the ocean. On it were several boats, hooked to shore by splintery ropes. Matthias took one rope and threw it into the small boat. He began helping Lukas in, but the young prince hopped in, already refusing any aid of any form. He seated himself daintily on one side of the boat, picking up an oar.

Matthias sat down, rocking the boat. "No, don't worry, I'll row you." He grabbed the oar from Lukas and the other one from the bottom of the boat. He dug the two into the water and started to push the boat away. The second day was nearing its end.

As the sun bled oranges and reds into the water, the two calmly drifted into the pond-like pool of water. Fish swam beneath, a multitude of colors barely visible under the sun's glare. Matthias had only eyes for Lukas. He memorized Lukas's features, fearing that Lukas will have to leave him for his own kingdom. Surely the boy was due back at home to be a king one day. He could not derive the prince of such a duty.

So he regarded Lukas's slender neck going up into an oval face with bright, curious eyes thoroughly. Lukas noticed and looked back at Matthias, understanding suddenly that the intentions were pure and morose, in their own way.

With the sun setting and the boat entering thick vegetation, Lukas felt the time was drawing nearer. He scooted closer towards Matthias, his bare feet centimeters away from Matthias's boots. The darkness of the enclosure was romantic, he felt.

Matthias noticed Lukas's movements and set down the oars, allowing the boat to move as it pleased. His arms already ached from the exercise. They moved closer and closer, so that Lukas could feel Matthias's warm breath on his lips. His eyelids fluttered shut, his lips puckered, merely a hair away from Matthias.

But Matthias pulled away, biting his lip. Lukas was irate, but still desiring to keep those lovely legs of his.

"I… I can't," the land prince explained, collecting the oars and starting on the journey back to the castle. "It's not that I don't want you, it's just that I have set my eyes upon another. I have told you, I believe, about the angelic being that sang me to life with such a smooth, rich voice. Though you look much like him I know you aren't, for you lack a voice, as it is made obvious… I'm sorry, but I can't give up on my ambition."

Lukas's heart shriveled up and fell back to the sea. He bowed his head, biting his lip so not to allow a single tear to escape and slide down his rosy cheeks. His long fingers toyed with the red flower Matthias had given him.

Ivan watched the on-goings inside his cave. Therein he noticed something that had escaped Lukas's attention. Hesitation—powerful, glowing hesitation there was inside Matthias's eyes. Ivan frowned. "It appears I'll have to take matters into my own hands…" he thought, creeping out of his cave like an arachnid.

Quickly, he set out for land, his head breaking the surface. Inside his hands there was a golden orb containing Lukas's voice. Ivan ducked back beneath the water, swimming towards the shore. The orb felt smooth and warm upon entering his throat.

When on the sandy surface, he appeared a human. Long, strong legs dug into the soft sand, his hair dry. Clothing, a fine silk outfit, was already donned upon him. When he spoke, the poetic voice of the Prince escaped instead.

With no particular interest in the prince himself, Ivan had to force all his vengeance into acting like a lost puppy. He wandered around the ground, looking into illuminated window after illuminated window.

Matthias leaned on his balcony, staring into the star-strewn sky with lost eyes. He had come home with Lukas not long before. The marine prince now lay in his chamber, picking the petals off the flower bitterly.

A lilting voice suddenly sounded from down below. Matthias recognized it at once. He looked down and saw the frail-seeming Sea Warlock walking around, his lips parted to let the sweet tune escape.

Overcome by not only memory and willpower, but by a dosage of Ivan's own magic, he fell in deep, deep love. He raced through the castle, tearing down the stairs and appearing before the figure.

"Are you…?" He started.

"…the one that saved you?" Ivan said innocently. "Yes, my prince, I am."

"We shall be wed at once!" Matthias cried in glee, a bit too loudly, perhaps.

This took place right under Lukas's window. Lukas heard the sound and rushed to the window, pushing it open and hiding behind the wall, peering over his shoulder. He recognized Ivan and his own voice, feeling alien outside of his body.

Matthias embraced Ivan and swung him around, holding the witch tightly.

Lukas touched his throat, a pitiful sound escaping his throat. Tears stung his eyes and he slid down the wall, covering his face as hoarse sobs escaped him. It was done. Matthias had been taken over. Lukas would die before the sun set the next day, without a kiss.


	4. Seafoam

**4. Sea Foam**

Betrayal overfilled Lukas's darkening heart. He fell asleep leaning against the wall, and when he woke to the silence of the house and the absence of Matthias calling him over for another day of venturing into the human world, the betrayal only poisoned his veins more. If Matthias's love had been true, which could only have been the reason Ivan appeared yet again, then why did he suddenly throw Lukas away?

Lukas didn't know what to think of it, but rage boiled over in his heart. Ivan had been exiled for a reason. He longed to apologize to his father, whom he knew was worried sick and tugging at his beard in fear for his little son. But no apology could have made up for Lukas's foolishness and ambition to have two legs.

Lukas left the room, knowing he would never see it again. He had only the day to win Matthias back over. His bare feet padded against the cool tiled floor and he slid to the stop by the stairs, looking down.

Matthias stood, enchanted, with Ivan holding his arm. Ivan looked different, not quite as heavy or masculine. He had taken on some of Lukas's features; the slim neck and dark eyelashes to be exact. Words of love and romance escaped Matthias. Little did he know that Ivan would leave him just as soon as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

The tall halls let in warm sunlight, painting the floors white and yellow. Maids bustled around, collecting dishes and fine china from a variety of cabinets. The entire kingdom teemed with life—all crying in glee at the wedding of their fair prince!

"Ah what a queen we shall have!"

"Matthias, the fair prince, he shall rule our kingdom wisely just as his father had! I swear my name on it!"

Those were only some of the shouts outside. Maids inside spoke much of the same thing, mostly in happiness. The woman who tended to Lukas at his arrival was the most proud. She beamed constantly at the prince, untroubled by his foggy eyes. The film of enchantment on them went quite unnoticed with everyone but Lukas.

"Matthias…" He whispered, reaching over the ledge in vain.

Ivan caught sight of him and shot him a sympathetic look. "Nothing personal," he mouthed.

Glistening tear drops fell to the banister, dyeing the brown wood black. He regretted ever saving that wretched prince. More so he regretted ever falling in love with him.

Matthias took his bride to be outside, to enjoy the fresh air. Lukas tagged along behind him, trying to avert his attention back. Perhaps if that prince saw his true love he would understand. The betrayal from that morning passed and dissolved into love: glorious, passionate love. He tossed rocks, he tried to trip Ivan, but all of this came in vain.

So Lukas came to sit on a ledge of a water fountain, swinging his legs beneath him and holding what was left of that tiny red flower between his fingers. He listened to Ivan sing with his voice, sinking Matthias deeper and deeper into infatuation with the witch. Children ignored Lukas, rushing to Ivan and throwing flowers at him.

"Long live the king soon to be!"

Those words seemed to trigger a reaction in Lukas's gloomy being. He turned to stare at the couple, and realized that he had to stop it, somehow. Ivan would leave and Matthias would be forever under that spell. The kingdom could crumble in the palms of his hands and what would be left? A pile of debris that couldn't fend for itself would be in their wake.

_Even if I am to die I will forever love you, Matthias. That is why I must put an end to your suffering. _Lukas thought painfully, rising to his feet. The couple would share a bed for the first time that night, perhaps whispering wanton sounds to one another. In the darkest hour of the night Ivan would slip away. Lukas had to act before then.

All that was left was to wait.

Lukas did just that, trailing behind them constantly. The pain in his legs returned acutely, striking his joints as though they had done an incurable wrong. He wrapped his arms around his waist, trying not to allow tears to exit his eyes any longer.

Matthias retraced his steps with Lukas, showing the witch around the smaller parts of the kingdom, dancing with him to the playful tunes of some fiddle, and then ending the night with a boat ride. Their lips sealed in a kiss and Lukas would have cried had there been any tears left to shed.

_I love you, Matthias_

The wedding bells tolled, ringing out towards the sea where Lukas's father only dug himself deeper and deeper into his sorrow. Lukas sat on the pier, dangling his legs towards the sea—towards his home. He bowed his head, waiting for the ceremony to end.

In his hands he held tightly a small blade, ready to stab. He ran his finger along its edge, not drawing any blood for himself. Orange bled into the sea.

Upon a ship, ready to set sail, was the waving couple. White costumes trailed along in the wind, molding into the bruised purple sky.

Lukas climbed aboard, clambering into the newlywed couple's room. He peered in the window and found Ivan lying on the bed, raising his head towards the ceiling. Lukas waited impatiently. The day would end in a matter of minutes. He peered over his shoulder and caught Ivan looking.

Grunting, Ivan stepped off the bed and neared the window. Lukas beckoned him out. Ivan did so, going around and standing behind Lukas.

"You have no idea how difficult it is to pretend to love someone, Prince." Ivan said. "But to have my vengeance on your wretched father is completely worth the effort."

Lukas raised his hand and beseeched Ivan to come closer.

"Weak prince, what exactly do you need from me?" Ivan said, and then realized a short blade had found its way into his heart. Blood seeped from the wound and his mouth agape, he looked at Lukas.

Lukas pulled the knife out. Holding it at his side, he watched Ivan crumble to the ground. He tried to smile but the act weighed down his lips. He went into the room, stepping carelessly around Ivan.

Inside, he saw Matthias blink the enchantment out of his eyes, discombobulated. "Where is my bride…?" He whispered, coming closer towards Lukas.

"Oh, my prince, have you seen her?"

Lukas stepped closer, holding the blade out in front of him. It trembled in his grasp.

"What are you doing…?"

Lukas tried to speak, but no sound found its way out. He suspected it had perished along with Ivan. Behind him the sun's outer rim started to sink below.

"You…You're him!" Matthias cried, rushing forth, but just out of reach of the dagger which wobbled dangerously in his grasp. "I was a fool, you are him."

Lukas raised his eyebrows. Mouthing: "how"

"Something must have happened to your voice, but whoever I married looks nothing like you. I don't know, but it felt so very strange to be there. It felt like I was dreaming! And even if you aren't my savior, I fell in love with you." He began to plead, holding out his hand. "I fell in love with you and now I need you to be by my side."

Lukas dropped the knife, his vision flicking in and out of focus. He reached forwards to embrace—no, to kiss—Matthias.

But the sun had already set.

His energy slid away from him and he stepped away, moving as quickly as he could in his frail condition to the side of the boat. His foot met the dead arm of Ivan's. Something must have occurred in that transacting, because as the last light of daylight faded away, he managed to cry out in his voice, a beautiful, aquatic sound of roaming water and the life that feeds off of it:

"Once I am sea foam I will continue to love you, Matthias!" Lukas grabbed a hold of the edge and pushed himself off the boat, already feeling his body dissolve into bubbles, salty and airy.

Matthias held his hand over the edge, reaching for Lukas, but it was too late.

"No!"

Lukas watched him as he fell, plunging into the cold depth and at once becoming foamy bubbles rising to the surface and evaporating.

Matthias watched in horror, regretting every wrong decision he had made. He clutched the brink and bowed his head.

Lukas was gone and there was nothing left to do.

The king of the sea felt it, how and why he never knew. But one thing he was certain of: the gripping love that captured Lukas had brought along his doom…

… but even then…

He would love forever.

* * *

_It seemed like a good idea to just finish it now. I hope you enjoyed_

_-fini_


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